Alabama seeks 15-0, last reached by Penn in 1897

TAMPA, Fla. - Alabama could be the first college football team in the modern era to finish 15-0.

That doesn't mean it hasn't happened before.

When this College Football Playoff championship game kicks off later Monday night, these Alabama and Clemson squads will become only the seventh and eighth teams to play 15 games since the NCAA was formed in the 1930s. The others are BYU in 1996, Kansas State in 2003, Ohio State and Oregon in 2014, and Alabama and Clemson last season.

And of those, none finished 15-0.

Alabama has the chance in this title game; Clemson had the same chance last year in the championship game, before getting beaten by the Crimson Tide.

Yale won 15 games in 1889 and 16 games in 1894. Penn won 15 games in both 1892 and 1897. So even if Alabama isn't going into truly uncharted territory, it's aiming to reach some pretty rare air.